The Seattle Seahawks won because they got the player they coveted for their defensive backfield.
The New York Jets won because they cleaned up with trade compensation from Seattle that included two first-round draft picks.
The 49ers neither won nor lost because they never played the game to acquire safety Jamal Adams, 49ers general manager John Lynch said during an appearance Tuesday morning on KNBR’s Murph & Mac Show.
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“Yes, our division is getting better,” Lynch said. “We understand that. That’s why we’re working so hard to get better.”
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One day after he told NBC Sports Bay Area the 49ers never even picked up the phone to inquire about Adams’ availability in a trade, Lynch reiterated why such a move made no sense for the 49ers this offseason. Lynch said any reports the 49ers were interested in Adams were “totally inaccurate.”
“I love it seems to be that every guy that’s up for a trade that we’re involved,” Lynch said. “I love that people talk about the Niners. But I try to be truthful. We’re talking about (George) Kittle. We’re trying to save room for him.
San Francisco 49ers
“We’ve got a plan here and Jamal Adams is a tremendous player. No. 1, we feel really good about our guys, Jimmie Ward, who we re-signed this offseason, about Jaquiski Tartt.”
Adams listed the 49ers as a team for which he was interested in playing for upon requesting a trade from New York this offseason.
The Seahawks on Saturday finalized a trade in which they acquired Adams and a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft from the Jets for first- and third-round selections in 2021, a first-round pick in 2022 and safety Bradley McDougald.
The 49ers never were considered serious contenders to acquire Adams because they re-signed Ward to a three-year, $28.5 million extension this offseason. Also, the club still is working toward a long-term extension with Kittle. Complicating matters even more, the NFL salary cap is expected to drop from $198.2 million per team this year to $175 million in 2021.
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At a time when the 49ers are trying to control their cap costs, it makes little sense to part with multiple future first-round draft picks for a player whose next contract figures to be in the range of $15 million per season.
“With Jamal Adams, you saw all the trade capital that they had to give up, which the Seahawks – good for them – they made that decision,” Lynch said. “You also got to pay the man. That’s one of the reasons he’s not in New York.
“Being up there against it (the cap) with what’s happening with the camp due to the pandemic, it just wasn’t a reality for us.”
The 49ers are $11.97 million under the salary cap, according to the latest figures from the NFL Players Association.